"Due to a medical condition in my knees, I will not be able to continue playing basketball"

Guess he was wrong.

Donnie Walsh always had faith in this guy though. He was a big fan of Bender and always believed he could turn out to be great. Bender was 'his' project and it looks like he never gave up on him. Walsh just might be the only GM to give Bender a second shot at playing in the NBA.

Good for Bender, but a risky (bad) pick up by the Knicks if you ask me.
Bender relied on his athleticism and that might've taken a serious hit because of the the injuries and years of not playing. He is only 28 though, so who knows. Back then I think he would've done great in a run and gun system.. lets see how much he has left.